Perzonal War
Captive Breeding

Breeding in captivity, is that something made by the guys in Perzonal War? The german thrash metal guys are returning with their seventh studio album the first on Metalville and the first following a four year hiatus in their discography. So what has this German quartet been up to? Well, maybe writing material for this new album which has a cover art that mainly goes in green and that looks to be one of the most interesting ever released by these guys. I know this band quite well having found them in a discount shelf at the local record store when it still existed, this was in 2003 I think and what I found for a very fair price was the album Different but the Same from 2002 which got me hooked somewhat on this band I have listened to them ever since albeit that they haven’t since the 2004 release Faces done much to impress and even at the early going I thought they were a bit cautious and could be much bolder in their music. Now it is 2012 and they are being released on the label whose records I seem to always award a rating of four, lets see if this band can change that.

Musically it is a melodic form of thrash metal, quite standardised thrash metal with a melodic edge if I am honest and have you heard the band before you will not be that surprised by what they offer on this album as it is not really that different from what we have heard before. They balance their melodic ideas with some quite powerful stuff making this album a constant balancing act between these two sides, an act that they master quite well I would say as the sound is clean and good while they still feel very powerful and aggressive. I think that if you want band comparisons I would describe them as Metallica meeting german engineering, something like that. However, despite them being rather cautious in stylistic terms the album still manages to be quite clever and varied over the thirteen tracks that makes it up.

But what do I think of this album then? Well, lets begin by saying that it isn’t much of a surprise anywhere and this felt a bit disappointing at first, I do not like to get more of the same. And if there is any problem with this album it is that fact that they do not really deviate anything from the path they have been walking since over a decade ago. Moreover at 55 minutes it is a bit of a long runner as well and as with all Perzonal War albums I have heard it is a bit careful, make me believe that the band still does not really dare to be bolder in their musical creation.

Now I have pointed out all the little weaknesses with this album and I can say that this album despite following the format is different enough from what else the band has done to make it feel motivated and not just like another Perzonal War album. It is a perfection of their craft and it feels like it has evolved into something slightly heavier than at least the four albums before it while still maintaining the trademark melodic touch that this band has established for those four albums before this one. It is flawless in performance and the songs are really good, powerful yet melodic and recognisable yet different (different but the same you could actually say) and while it might not be the most unique of albums it is still really good on all accounts. I would most definitely say that this is the best I have heard from Perzonal war since at least the 2004 effort Faces, it just feels like they do more or less everything right on this album.

So with their best effort in a long time Perzonal War hand us a treat. It may not be the most different and it may be a bit of a coward’s way to evolve but who cares when it is made this good?